In leading Harding High School to consecutive state championships in 1995 and 1996, Harper won 11 state titles
Harding, East Noble stars leave marks on last day in May
Editor's Note: This is the second in a series of excepts from the book ``Fort Wayne Sports History.
May 31, 1996
In leading Harding High School to consecutive state championships in 1995 and 1996, Harper won 11 state titles: three in the 100-meter dash, three in the 200-meter dash, three in the long jump and two in the 400-meter relay.
That's 11 titles in 11 attempts.
The only Indiana high school track athlete, girls or boys, to come close to the achievement was North Central's Maicel Malone, who also won 11 titles. But Malone finished second in the 200 as a sophomore.
Harper is the only athlete in Indiana history to go undefeated in multiple state events. She accomplished her feat in three seasons, since she did not compete as a freshman. Malone's titles came over four seasons.
During her Arkansas career, Yoder-Begley was a 15-time all-American and a 15-time Southeastern Conference champion.
Yoder-Begley pulls off surprising run to title
May 31, 2001
Coming off an Achilles injury, the Arkansas senior was not looked upon as one of the face favorites, but she finished in 33:59.96 to earn her second NCAA titles. This race was held at Eugene, Ore.
On March 10, 2000, Yoder-Begley had won the 5,000 meters at the NCAA Indoor Championships in Fayetteville with a time of 15:46.89.
During her Arkansas career, Yoder-Begley was a 15-time all-American and a 15-time Southeastern Conference champion. She was also just the third track athlete to be named SEC Athlete of the Year.
Yoder-Begley qualified for the 2008 Beijing Olympics and finished 26th in the 10,000 meters.
For more information on the book "Fort Wayne Sports History'' written by News-Sentinel sports reporter Blake Sebring visit www.amauth.com or www.blakesebring.com.
